Farmers rally against risks

FARMERS met at the South Grafton Ex-Servicemen's Club last night to rally against NSW Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) laws.

Chairman of the NSW Farmers' Association industrial committee Jock Laurie said the idea behind the meeting was to inform farmers about current OH&S laws and proposed changes, and work towards a solution. Most farmers were surprised to find they were 'so exposed' within current laws.

"The majority of people think that ... if they do everything they can to minimise risk then they're no chance of prosecution but with current laws that's not the case and there's no security," Mr Laurie said.

"We're operating under the same OH&S laws as other workplaces, where it's quite easy to identify a possible risk but ... on a property where you're working with so many variables that's practically impossible."